Radar and Microwaves Laboratory

High frequency systems are taught through applied projects in the Radar and Microwaves Laboratory as part of the electrical engineering curriculum. Circuits that operate in radio and microwave bands, from tens of megahertz to many gigahertz, are ubiquitous in modern life, and form the backbone of the communications, navigation, and surveillance infrastructure of the national airspace.

Radio circuits and systems fundamentally behave differently from their low-frequency counterparts, and have different laboratory needs. The Radar and Microwaves Laboratory is home to four fully-equipped laboratory stations with all the tools necessary for designing, building, and characterizing these systems. Each station includes two RF signal generators, a spectrum analyzer with tracking generator, an oscilloscope, power supplies, and function generators. Advanced signal analysis is enabled by high-speed FPGAs and a 10 GbE backbone in the lab. Students active in projects in the Radar and Microwaves Laboratory also have access to the department’s LPKF S103 rapid prototyping circuit mill.

The laboratory also houses specialty equipment, including vector network analyzers, antennas, and passive radar research prototypes.